


Missing Detectives

by m_gilastorm, miranda_gilastorm (m_gilastorm)



Series: Promptober [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Ghost Rider (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, F/M, Promptober
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:47:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26776858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m_gilastorm/pseuds/m_gilastorm, https://archiveofourown.org/users/m_gilastorm/pseuds/miranda_gilastorm
Summary: [Prompt: The town council died in a freak plane accident. An audit by the interim council revealed 20% of the town's power is siphoned off to a structure with priority over even hospitals. They send you to investigate the building in the middle of nowhere.]
Relationships: Robbie Reyes/Skye | Daisy Johnson
Series: Promptober [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954540
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	Missing Detectives

"You know as well as I do this was a job for a uni." Daisy glared at her partner, still angry he'd accepted this assignment on their behalf.

Robbie rolled his eyes, "Honestly, it's the least we can do for Coulson now that he's just suddenly in charge. I thought you'd be glad to do him the favor."

She grumbled at him. "I didn't work my ass off to make detective just to end up checking out abandoned buildings in the middle of nowhere. This is bullshit." She sunk down in the seat of his Charger, which he probably loved more than any person she'd ever cared for in her life.

In fact, Roberto Reyes had a rather impressive capacity to love things - like his brother, Gabe, or his (in her opinion) good-for-nothing uncle, or empanadas, or leather jackets in the California heat. Yeah, Robbie was able to love just about anything.

Daisy, on the other hand, didn't trust anything enough to even be excited about it. Someone bought her a sweater? What did they want from her? There was no family she needed to love; she'd been left on the doorstep of an orphanage as a baby. That meant food, shelter, _cars_ \- they were necessities - luxuries - not things to _love_. Robbie, though, he was something she thought maybe she could love.

If they didn't work together.

If she hadn't worked so hard for everything she had.

If love wasn't the one thing that would ruin her life.

She was still slumped in the passenger seat when they pulled up to the gated driveway. She sat up at the strange sight of the tall wrought iron fence surrounding the property.

"Well I guess someone was trying to keep something out." She leaned over the dash to get a better look. "Or maybe even to keep something in."

Robbie snickered at her. "Right, chica. Let's go see how to get this gate open." He put the Charger in park, leaving it running as they got out to examine the metal monstrosity in front of them.

"This is super creepy, right?" She rattled the gate, getting nothing but loud creaks in response.

The sound of chains startled her and she spun around, looking for Robbie.

He held up a padlock with a rusted old gate chain attached. "Guess we can just let ourselves in, huh?"

She rolled her eyes, making her way back to the Charger. Of course he picked the lock. She should have thought of that.

When he slid into his seat, he tossed the lock and chain into the back seat, smirking at her.

"Really?"

"You were right, it's creepy. It's kinda cool."

"Oh my god, whatever. Let's just do a sweep of this place and get back to the city."

Robbie gave her a small smile. "Come on, you're interested now. I can tell. It's creepy and in the middle of nowhere. This is just the kind of thing you love."

Daisy snorted. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if you ever actually make it up the driveway, we might find out." She gestured out the windshield to the vast stretch of gravel beyond the gate.

He nodded, "Oh, I see how it is, Johnson."

"Yup. That's exactly how it is, Reyes."

They were both shaking their heads as the tires crunched up the gravel drive. She would never let him know it, but Robbie was dead-on; this was exactly the kind of mystery she craved. Coulson said this place was an anomaly in the council's black book. It pulled twenty percent of the power generated by the entire county and was wired to have priority over even the local hospitals.

Daisy was staring up at some kind of transplanted building. This did _not_ belong in the Midwest of North America. It looked like some kind of temple from Asia, maybe? She couldn't be sure.

"What the hell...?"

She shook her head, "Your guess is as good as mine."

Robbie laughed. "I doubt that, because my guess right now is time travel." He thought for a moment. "Definitely time travel."

"Or some kind of amusement park reject?" she offered. "Looks like something almost from a movie set." It was a perfect replica, could pass as the real thing. The stone was real, cool to the touch, and even had moss growing over it. The designs carved into it were rough, almost like they'd been done by hand. Someone sure took their time with this.

"You done admiring the wall so we can take a look inside?" Robbie already had his flashlight out, tossing hers over.

She caught it with ease. "Seriously? You don't appreciate anything that isn't your car."

"Aw, that's not fair. I appreciate my partner, even if she stares at stone walls." She smacked him on the shoulder with her flashlight. "Ow! Hey!"

Daisy walked past him into the open entrance. "Serves you right!" There were no doors, more just an archway the stone had been built up into. Over the archway the top of the building had appeared to taper off into a step-like pyramid, very much like an ancient Chinese design she had studied when she'd visited the country searching for her own heritage.

The search hadn't found any family, but at least she knew her own ethnic culture. This place was definitely styled after ancient Chinese ancestral shrines, built to house entire families so the ancestors of a household would remain together.

It was darker the further in they walked. Something nagged at her. "No light switches?" She ran her hand along the wall as they continued on - nothing. "I thought this place was drawing power?"

Robbie focused his light on the walls and then the ceiling, "You're right. There's no sign of any modern lights at all."

She frowned, "So where's the power going?"

"That's a good question." They both unclipped the holsters on their guns, anticipating trouble, before continuing on.

Finally, more hallways started branching off from the main one. Daisy drew her gun and wordlessly motioned for Robbie to clear the one across from her while she cleared the one in front of her. He nodded and vanished from her sight.

She had her weapon and flashlight at eye level as she scanned before every step, wanting to be sure she didn't miss anything. The hall curved, opening into a gigantic room that had to be at the center of the temple, if the angled roof was any indication. Six halls emptied out into the room and she had to lower her gun as Robbie stepped out of one of them as well, his flashlight off.

"All paths lead to Rome, I guess."

She nodded, "Something like that."

He gestured to the center of the room, a pedestal of some sort, "What do you think that is?"

"Who knows? Nothing good, I'm sure."

They approached it slowly, carefully; still not sure what they were dealing with.

"Woah."

Daisy nodded, echoing the sentiment. This was something out of a science fiction novel. A stone was being held, suspended - no, _floating_ \- by a _force-field_. Maybe stone wasn't quite the right word. Monolith? No, it wasn't quite that large. Obelisk, yeah that felt more like it.

"What do you think it is?"

Robbie shook his head, "I don't know, chica. Obviously some kind of stone, but God only knows how dangerous."

She stared. "Think of how much power they're pulling just to keep that thing in there." She took a deep breath, like she was shaking off some kind of trance, "We need to call Coulson."

"You're right, can you turn your flashlight on so I can see?"

Daisy frowned at him, "I didn't turn it off."

"Well mine must have died." He was going to say something else, but she stopped him.

"No, I put fresh batteries in them this weekend for the storm. There's no way either of our lights died. Something else is going on. Get out your phone."

They both pulled out their phones. His was low, but hers was nearly dead. She put it together. "It's draining the power. I've been in here longer than you."

He nodded. "I'll make the call quick."

She watched as he dialed their boss, but a flash at the pedestal caught her eye. As soon as she heard her partner talking to Coulson, she knew they'd made a terrible mistake.

This temple was in the middle of nowhere.

There were no lights, no cables, no modern forms of power whatsoever.

This thing had no way to contact the outside world, nothing but a constant flow of power coming in to keep it contained - until they just gave it one.

The field containing the Obelisk flickered, going from its phosphorescent blue to a violet to an angry red. Something about it seemed to almost be on fire. She swore she could hear whispers coming from the force-field itself.

"Robbie?" she backed away, hoping they could get out safely before something awful happened.

He was at her side in a second, muttering curses in Spanish. "What happened?"

"I don't think we should have made that call," she whispered.

He frowned, "Do you hear that?" He stepped forward, "It's saying something."

Daisy reached for him, but he moved just out of her reach. "Robbie! No, get away from it!"

He was only a breath away from the field when she lunged for him. "Reyes! Get back!"

Flames erupted around everything, engulfing the both of them. The force-field was gone and Daisy could see the Obelisk, symbols now shining bright as the fire around them.

The whispers grew louder as the fire separated her from Robbie, forcing him back from the pedestal, surrounding him. She could barely see him, covering his ears as if it were all too much.

Bright light distracted her and she turned back to see the Obelisk radiating more light, opening to reveal a crystal inside - and pouring out a gas that quickly surrounded her.

She turned to run, intent on getting to Robbie and getting out before whatever this was killed them both.

Her feet didn't work. She looked down to see them encased in some kind of stone. This wasn't happening. It was some kind of nightmare, it had to be.

Glancing over at Robbie, a sob escaped. He was lying on the ground - not moving.

"No, no, no," was all she could repeat. She could feel the shell of stone creeping up quickly, but it didn't matter.

Her breath caught right as all went dark. She could have sworn she heard Robbie gasp for air.

**Author's Note:**

> So I really wanted to just do a one-shot and I couldn't pass up this prompt when I saw it. I think I'm going to keep doing them. Send me some? Tumblr is miranda-gilastorm.


End file.
